It’s hard to explain to Caitlin, Luke, and Jason that rice patties and fruit trees surrounded my home. Just a stone throw away were fields of salt. The endless skyline had been filled with houses, hotels, and Café’ bars. Luke said, “I thought you told me you came from a small town? Phan Thiet is about the size of Salem, Oregon.” The sleepy coastal town of Phan Thiet had double and triple in population after the war. It still retain a certain kind of small city charm about it. It’ll never turn into Saigon; I hope.

The next day we went to see the school. It’s so much better than I’ve seen it in the photos. I was so emotional I couldn’t even talk. So proud. So proud. I really like Caitlin’s blog about the school. You can go into the archive and read about it.

It was sooooooo wonderful to see the children. A friend of mine told me of a phrase he learned “It’s not matter how many breath you take. It’s the moments that take your breath away that count. This is definitely one of those moments. I just want to curl up somewhere and cry like a child.